Beet-topping machine.



K. SATO. BEET TOPPING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED AUG-27. 1917.

Patented Mar. 26, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I K. SATU BEET TOPPING MACHINE, APPLICATION FILED AUG-27, 1911. 1,260,?15. Patented Mar. 26,1918.

KURAKICHI SATO, F LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

BEET-TOPPING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 26, 1918.

Application filed August 27, 1917. Serial No. 188,522.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, KURAKICHI SA'ro, a subject of the Emperor of Japan, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented a new and useful Beet-Topping Machine, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a machine used in the field for the purpose of topping the beets as they are dug from the ground. The principal object of my invention is to produce a machine of the class described of simple form and construction. Other objects and advantages will appear hereinafter from the following description.

Referring to the drawings which are for illustrative purposes only:

Figure 1 is a plan view partly in section of a machine embodying a form of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the machine shown in Fig. 1, one of the wheels being removed.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on line 3-3, Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrow.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of aportion of the front end of the machine.

Fig. 5 is a sectional View on line 5-5, Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional view on line 66, Fig. 1.

Fig. 7 is a cross sectional view on line 77, Fig. 1.

Fig. 8 is a side elevation partly in section of the pressureplates showing manner of mounting same.

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary plan view of a portion of apressure plate and its supporting frame.

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of one of the flights ofthe conveyer.

11 designates a frame mounted upon front wheels 12 and rear wheels 13, the rear wheels 13 being mounted on a shaft14 journaled in suitable bearings 15 on the frame 11. 16

, designates two downwardly depending posts designates a U bar secured in any suitable manner to the apron 22 at the forward edge of the same, and 26 designate prongs secured to the U bar 25, one prong being secured to one leg of the U bar, and the other prong being secured to the other leg of the U bar, the prongs 26 being so shaped that of the frame 24 in suitable bearings thereon is a shaft 30 having thereon a sprocket wheel 31 driven by a sprocket chain 32, the sprocket chain 32 being in turn driven by a sprocket Wheel 33 mounted on a shaft 34 which shaft 34 is supported in bearings 38 mounted on the rear end of the frame 11.

35 designates a blade or paddle formed on the end of an arm 86, the arm 36 being secured to the shaft 30 by means of a pin 37, the arm 36 and paddle thereon being designed to rotate with the shaft for purposes hereinafter described.

40 designates a gate pivotally mounted at 41' to an angle bar 42, the angle bar 42 being secured in any suitable manner as by rivets 43 to one of the frames 24. The forward movement of the gate 40 is limited by a stop 44 secured to the angle bar 42, the gate 40 being held elastically against such stop 44 by means of a spring 45 which is also secured to the angle bar 42.

designates a circular blade or primary cutting member which is secured to a shaft 51 mounted in a bearing 52 on one of the standards 24 said cutting member 50 being operated by means of a sprocket chain 53 which drives a sprocket wheel 54 mounted on the shaft 51, the chain 53 being in turn driven by a sprocket wheel 55 mounted on the shaft 30.

57 designates a conveyer consisting of a series of flights 58 secured to a sprocket chain 59, the sprocket chain 59 passing over a sprocket. Wheel 60 at the forward end of the conveyer and a sprocket wheel 61 at the rear end of the same, sprocket Wheels 60 and 61 being secured to shafts 62 and 63 respectively, which shafts are mounted in suitable bearings on the diagonal braces 17 so that the conveyer is arranged with the forward or receiving end of the salneibehin the rear end of theapron 22 and extends upwardly and rearwar'dly to the rear end or delivery end of the conveyer. Certain of the flights 58 are provided with ribs 65 arranged diagonally. npo n the flight-as clearlyshown 'in' Figs. 1 and 10, the rear end of the ribs 65 being cut away as indicatecl-at 66 thereby forming a shoulder 67 on the rib.

"The flights '58 are supported 1 in; the machine upon braCketsGS mounted upon cross "barsi 69 which 1 for-m a part' of the frarne 11 tithe-machine. lySecuredto the crossbars 69am standards '70 uponit-he upper ends -01? whichis-secured a-longitudinal extending bar '71 ,to whith is secured a serieswof arms '7 2-and 7 3, which extend over thecon- 'veyer *form a support for an angle "bar7 1.

75 designates ,a diagonally disposedguide plate pivota-lly l mounted at "'76 to a I bracket *77inounted onthe angle'bar-71, the-plate "7 5 being provided with --a strap 78 which engages over the arm 72'heretoforereferred *to. Therearen d ofthe plate75 extends behind'a guideplate 79,the-rear end of which in turn exten'ds behind a -gui'de plate 80, the rear end of wliich extends behind a guide plate 81. The-arms 73-are; arranged inwpairs as shown in :Figyl an'd-eaclr-guide plate "79580 "and 81 is j provided :Withan upwardly extending pin 84 which 'extends betweenits associatefdpair of arms"73 and each guideplatef79, 80 and-81 is provided *with a strap 82 secured to a Hange-SS on the respective plates soarrangedas-to engage between the strap 82andithe fiange :83 a ypair of the arms 73'for thepurpose of movably supporting the respective 1 plates --on the machine.

:85 designates coiled springs mounted upon -curved rods 86, the rods 86 extending through slots-87in the angle-bar 7 1. and the outer end of such rodsteing secureddn any suitable manner to one end of the plates 7 9, 80 and 81. 90 designates a similar coiled springmounted on a bar 91 which engages the rear end (of the plate 81,'the function of such springs being'to bracethegplates :against theroot ends of the beets and thereby hold the heads of the beets against guides 95 mounted upon brackets 9.6; upon the Tframe 11.

98designates a bent arm pivotally mounted at 99-touthe angle bar 7,1,the,arm98 being curvejd at its forward end as indicated intheudottedlines at L100infliig2. '101 designatesa circular blade onsecondary cutting membertsecured to a shaft 102 mounted in arsuitable,bearing 103 on the "framell, the shaft 1O2fbeing provided with a sprocket nvheel ,109 driven by means of asprocket chain 104fro1na sprocket wheel 105 mounted onthe sha'iftf34 -thev shaft 3lbeing provided Witha sprocket wheel106drivenby guides '95e lasticaily sup-ported on rods =121 gaged by the pIatesCSO and 81.

' engage the beetsinthe ground therebetw-een.

is cut' ofi as indicated) in dotted lines'in Fig.

sprocket chain 107 which in turn is driven by..a sprocketWwheeL108 from the shaft 14. The conveyer'57'is driven by means of =t-he-shattn68 which shaft is provided with a gear 110 driven by a gear 111 mounted on the shaft 34. For the purpose of varying which pass through brackets 123 mounted on the frame 11, and provide coiled springs 122 cm the rods'which permits a retraction of thesection 120-w-hen -a large -beet is en- The machine -operates in the 4 following manner The machine is driven over the ground by suitablefdraft MIQZLIlS-Ztlld-t-hfi prongs 26 The beets are pulled =from the ground by the prongs and -turned 5 into a horizontal position clue to the shape of the prongs, an arm 28 supporting the head of the beet "as -it-reachessuelrhorizontalposition. 'As the beet approaches" the rear ends of the pron-gs v26 it is engaged by the paddle 35 and-moved "thereby against the primary cutting member' 50 at which-time a portion-of the tops .4. The, ,pa'ddle 35-presses the beet under the gate 40 causing the -loeet to travel over the apron 22 to ,the conveyer 57 the flights of "which are beveled-as shown at 125 inFigs.

6 .and 7 to accommodatethe-shapecf the 'beet' so "that the same will lie in the 1 malower end of the beet passesunder the 98"whi'ch assists inaarranging-the beetiin the proper position on-the =con-veyer lay-pressing onthe root end of the beet. As 'the beet travels "on the conveyer' rearwardly in the machine, being caughtwagainst a rib' 65"on 115 one of the 'flightsnof the conveyor, the root end of the sheet is --enga-ge'd by diagonally disposed plate '17 5 which pushes :the beet across thconveyeruntil the head ofthe beet is againstthe g-uidesr'95. *The beets on the Conveyer are 'held in such position *as they travel rearwardly through" the :machine by the. spring plates 79; ,80; and 81- which yield sidewise against; their respectiversprings to accommodate the "different lengths of the beets and hold theheads of thesame against ;the guides'95. The beets ,areheld against the guides95 until" they reach the rear end :of the machineand, a portion "ott-he head ofthe beet is cut-oitbythe secondaryent a ting member 101 after which the beets are delivered to any suitable receptacle over the discharge end of the conveyer.

The amount cut off by the secondary cutting member depends uponthe length of the beet as a long beet will depress the plates 79, 80 and 81 a greater degree than a short beet and will cause a greater pressure against the elastic section 120 of the guides 95 depressing such section and thereby cutting ofi' a correspondingly greater amount of the head of the beet.

hat I claim is 1. In a beet topping machine, a primary cutte arranged to cut off a portion of the tops of the beets, a secondary cutter, conveyer means for carrying the beets from the primary cutter to the secondary cutter, and means for sliding the beets across the conveyer to bring a portion of the heads of the beets into engagement With the secondary cutter. a

2. In a beet topping machine, a primary cutter, means for raising beets from the ground to said cutter, a conveyer, means for moving the beets from the primary cutter to the conveyer, guide means at one side of the conveyer for the heads of the beets, means for elastically engaging the root end of the beets to slide the beets across the conveyer against the guide means, and a secondary cutter arranged to cut off a portion of the heads of the beets on the conveyer.

3. In a beet topping machine, a primary cutter, digging means for raising the beets from the ground to the primary cutter, an apron for supporting the beets, a conveyer, means for moving the beets from the apron to the conveyer, and a secondary cutter arranged to cut the beets on the conveyer.

4. In a beet topping machine, a primary cutter, digging means for raising the beets from the ground to the primary cutter, an apron for supporting the beets, a conveyer, means for moving the beets from the apron to the conveyer, means for elastically moving the beets across the conveyer, and a secondary cutter arranged to cut the beets on the conveyer.

5. In a beet topping machine, a primary cutter, digging means for raising the beets from the ground to the primary cutter, an apron for supporting the beets, a conveyer, means for moving the beets from the apron to the conveyer, guides for the heads of the beets at one side of the conveyer, a diagonally disposed plate over the conveyer arranged to move the beets sidevvise across the conveyer, a series of plates forming a continuation of said diagonally disposed plate adapted to elastically hold the beets against the guides, and a secondary cutter at oneside of the conveyer for cutting the beets thereon.

6. In a beet topping machine, a primary cutter, digging means for raising the beets from the ground to the primary cutter, an apron for supporting the beets, an elastically retained gate above the apron, a paddle arranged to move the beets through the gate over the apron, a conveyer, guides for the heads of the beets at one side of the conveyer, means for elastically moving beets sideWise on the conveyer against said guides, and a secondary cutter at one side of the conveyer for cutting the beets thereon.

7. In a beet topping machine, a primary cutter, digging means for raising the beets from the ground to the primary cutter, an apron for supporting the beets, a conveyer, means for moving the beets from the a ron to the conveyer, guides for the heads 0 the beets at one ide of the conveyer, means for elastically moving the beets sidewise on the conveyer against said guides, a secondary cutter at one side of the conveyer, and a yielding section formed as part of said guides adjacent the secondary cutter.

I11 testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Los Angeles, California, this 17th day of August, 1917.

KURAKIGHI SATO.

Copies of this patent may he obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. 0. 

